Sorceress
History To understand what a sorceress is and what she can do, you must first understand sorcery. Sorcery is a practice of casting spells, communicate with and embody demons and other spirits to affect the natural order of things or to provide a desirable outcome in certain situations. A sorceress is a female that practices sorcery. Often, sorceresses are also witches but this is not always the case. This early magic of sorcery was also known as sympathetic magic and a sorceress would use practices that involved animal or other blood sacrifice, and pushing pins into dolls. Sorcery was one of the first forms of magic ever practiced. Those in the prehistoric days were using sorcery and as time went on and sorcery found its way into the Middle Ages, it was then that sorcery began to be viewed as malicious black magic. A sorceress in these times was thought to be evil as well for she would need to call on evil spirits for specific situations or to cause harm to others. In ancient Rome however, all the people believed in some form of sorcery whether it was divination or necromantic practices. The medieval times also thought that sorcery was a sin of the greatest kind and that sorceresses were servants of Satan and that they attended weekly ceremonies to celebrate their evil god. Today sorcery is still considered to be evil as sorceresses mainly cast spells and work with wax dolls and pins specifically to cause harm to another person, or people. It’s also believed that sorceresses will conjure up spirits and evil beings so that they can not only help harm people but also help the sorceress in all evildoings. Although every sorceress is different, just as every person is different, there are some general characteristics that can be looked for in a sorceress. They will always practice dark magic, this is essential to being titled a sorceress. They also prefer to work by themselves and although they will personally interact with other sorcerers and sorceresses, they will almost never work together. They will use their power of calling demons quite extensively as they will use the evil demons for any of their evil plans. They will use magic tools such as cauldrons and wands, to perform their evil magic. Sorceresses may worship the devil and they are more likely to do so if they are a witch as well. Sorceress Tools & Powers A sorceress needs many tools to perform the black magic that she does. These tools are not exclusive to sorceresses and can often be household items. However, the use of them is very different than that of their other kinds and the sorceress may even sometimes have specific types of tools that she prefers to use. Listed below are some of the most common tools a sorceress will use. Cords and strings are most often used when the sorceress is performing a very repetitive spell. This could simply be sitting over a cauldron while twirling cord and string and chanting. Often the string will be tied in knots and the number of knots is indicative of how many times the chant must be repeated. Candles are also another very common tool of the sorceress. She can not only use them as an aid when casting spells but she can also achieve that altered state of consciousness needed to perform sorcery. Sorceress will often personalize her candles with an insignia of some kind. If a sorceress is going to be performing a spell that will directly affect one other person, she will often use a doll to perform this spell. She may poke the doll with pins, if it’s a specific intent that she has, where she wants them to be affected. If the sorceress is performing the ritual on someone else’s behalf, she should first obtain something personal of theirs such as a few strands of hair, to place on the doll. This will make the ritual much more effective. One of the things that sorceresses are most known for is their ability to conjure spirits and use them in their work. This is why spirits are one of the most important tools a sorceress could have. Sorceresses will try to do something in exchange for the spirit that helped her once the task has been completed. Charms and amulets are often used by sorceresses. These are usually objects that have been found and can be kept or given away for good luck. And just below spirits on the important principles of practicing sorcery is divination. A sorceress must feel a close spiritual connection to the spirit she is trying to conjure in order for her task to be completed. This is why Gnosis is practiced as it will greatly aid the sorceress in achieving divination. Dangers of Sorcery It’s no secret that sorcery, or black magic, holds a certain allure for a lot of people. The idea of doing the unthinkable and something that seems completely illogical, and have it actually happen just holds a mystery about it that one must investigate. But sorcery can be a very dangerous practice and one that must only be practiced by sorcerers or sorceresses. As glamorous as sorcery seems and as fun as it is to imagine doing something “creepy” or “spooky”, sorcery can have catastrophic outcomes that could never have been expected by a novice. Many people, youth in particular, enjoy the idea of conjuring the spirits of friends or family that have passed. The desire to do this may not come from curiosity but simply a strong urge to have one last communication with the dead. They may hold a séance or play with a Ouija Board to get the answers they have been looking for. But while they are only trying to participate in an innocent game of sorts, evil can arise and quickly take control of the situation. Those new to the practice of black magic will not know how to fight back the evil spirits and continue to manage the situation. Others who may believe that they have a good understanding of sorcery and actually do want to perform rather intense rituals can also do more harm than good. Sorcery is something that must be studied and learned from someone who has much experience in the practice, such as a sorcerer or sorceress. While performing these rituals, an inexperienced person may accidentally cause too much harm and the results can be disastrous. Once again, the person will find themselves deeper into the black magic than intended and will not be able to find a way out. There are also elements that come with casting spells and evoking spirits that simply comes from practice. A sorceress may know exactly how much of one herb will be ineffective, how much will be too effective, and how much she actually needs. These details may seem quite small but the slightest variation in a ritual can have a completely unexpected result. It’s important to remember that if you are interested in performing anything that involves black magic, it’s best to leave it to those who have dedicated their lives to it. Although it may not seem that it is something as drastic as sorcery, it’s probable that it is and can be extremely dangerous. Known Sorceresses *Yuuko Ichihara (owner of her own shop that grants wishes) *Ume Nagase (she believes herself to be evil) Also See *Fairies *Elves *Anodites *Witches *Mage